Heika: Stars need serious help to reach playoffs but players vow to play hard no matter what

4/18

Nhat V. Meyer/MCT

The San Jose Sharks' Joe Pavelski (8) looks for the puck in front of the goal against the Dallas Stars in the first period at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. (Nhat V. Meyer/San Jose Mercury News/MCT)

The great thing about the late-season push for the playoffs from the new-look Stars is that it has been built on determination and pride and grit.

The tough thing is it might not be enough.

In getting just one point out of an 0-2-1 road trip against three playoff teams, the Stars have seen their chances of making the playoffs slip to almost nothing. They must beat both the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings in regulation and then hope for help from other teams. If they do that, their reward will be a first-round playoff meeting with the best team in hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks.

The players said they can’t think of all of the obstacles.

“Desperation, do or die,” said Jamie Benn when asked what the mind-set is for the final two games. “There are still four [points] out there that we can get, and you never know what can happen.”

When the Stars sent away Jaromir Jagr and Derek Roy at the trade deadline — two weeks after moving captain Brenden Morrow — the message seemed to be that the organization was giving up on the season. But several players grasped opportunities of increased ice time, and the Stars went on a five-game winning streak.

Some of it was fueled by Richard Bachman’s strong play in goal, some of it by key goals from unexpected sources. Rookie Alex Chiasson scored six goals in his first six NHL games and played on a line with Ray Whitney and Benn. Vern Fiddler was in the middle of the hottest stretch of his career, and moved into second-line minutes with Eric Nystrom and Erik Cole. And Antoine Roussel and Ryan Garbutt each displayed the kind of speed and scoring touch that could form a great fourth line for the Stars next season.

But after scoring at a pace of 4.0 goals per game in those five, and getting a .941 save percentage, the Stars hit a sort of playoff wall.

The Blues squeezed them in a 2-1 loss. The Kings battled back and took a 4-3 overtime win. The Sharks stuck a dagger in with two goals 30 seconds apart in the third period to take a 3-2 victory. It was a taste of playoff hockey, and the Stars weren’t able to rise above the level the playoff teams were playing.

So, were those punches crippling? Can the Stars get back up? They say they don’t know any other way.

“We have to bounce back, that’s what we have to do. We have to bounce back,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said.

Asked how, he explained: “Competing every night.”

The Stars pulled together after the trade deadline and decided that they were better than everyone else thought they were. They say they still believe. At the very least, they say they will play with that kind of attitude.

“We owe it to our fans to play well in front of them,” defenseman Stephane Robidas said of two games at American Airlines Center. ”We haven’t been very consistent in front of them, so the last two games at home, we have to play hard.”

It’s not that different than what they’ve been doing for the last two weeks.

Nystrom has worn his heart on his logo since coming to the Stars, and he doesn’t plan to change that, whether or not the team makes the playoffs.

“We’re proud of the fact we’re giving everything we have,” said Nystrom. “You look at this team, and it is a team. We are together and we are going to fight.”

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